The first Nike flagship store in West Africa has opened in Lagos’ Ikeja City Mall. The Nike Brand Director for Hudson Holdings Limited, Indrek Heinmets, spoke at the official launch event on August 25, 2022, inside the store itself, highlighting how exciting it was to see the Brand finally take off in Nigeria.
“The feeling of being here at the opening of this NIKE store is absolutely great, it’s fantastic, even overwhelming,” he said. “It’s been a long journey for us. We have been planning for a couple of years for Nike’s flagship store in Lagos. The pandemic didn’t help with global supply issues and other local challenges. So now seeing this store finally come alive, is beautiful. I would like to say a massive thumbs up to the local team for their hard work and sleepless nights to make this happen.”
The NIKE flagship store in Ikeja City Mall has been made possible by Hudson Brand Development Nigeria [HBDN], a subsidiary of Hudson Holdings Group, a leading retail and distribution Group representing a host of sports and fashion brands. Hudson Group is the official distributor for NIKE products in over 30 countries in Africa.
Giuseppe Crispino, NIKE Marketing Communications Manager at Hudson said at the launch: “the successful partnership of Nike and Nigeria goes back in time. In 2018, the world cup jersey designed for Nigeria which was result of a collaboration with the local Nigerian federation was one of the most sought-after football jerseys. Several current and past athletes and ambassadors of Nike come from Nigeria. We now have a home where we can welcome our customers and meet them in person. I think the real work starts now, it is not a handover, but a kickoff for the things we can do for customers now that we are here.”
Hudson, together with Nike, has a partnership programme in support of The Asisat Oshoala Foundation and according to Heinmets, that is only one of the many ways Hudson is exploring to make a mark on the market and the Nigerian society generally.
“We want to know what matters to Nigerians, what matters for the local customer and how we can get better engaged and connected. NIKE is a global brand, and our job at Hudson is to see how we can deliver that in a local way,” he enthused.
“From that perspective, we are looking forward to work directly with sport clubs, athletes, influencers, event managers as well as marketing agencies to develop local assets for closer collaboration with the local communities.” Heinmets added.
Chris Muscat, CEO of Hudson Holdings Group remarked “Very proud to have finally opened our first NIKE store in Lagos, and such a great looking store, representing the latest NIKE Road to Rise Concept. This marks our retail entry into Nigeria, our first step in bringing the best of sports and lifestlye products and brands to the Nigerian consumer, a consumer who is always at the forefront of fashion and sports. We are looking forward with optimism to our future in Nigeria. I would like to conclude by saying a massive thankyou to the brand and local teams for the hard work they put in to open this store.”
Guests present at the launch include Gbemisola Adudu, Vice President of NBA Africa and Country manager, NBA Nigeria; Paul Onwuanibe, CEO, Landmark Africa and John Onyeoguzoro, CEO, SMARTMARK Ltd, amongst a host of influencers and other media personalities.